To explore the debated phylogenetic relationship of two Hesperiidae subfamilies, Pyrginae and Eudaminae, and contribute to the understanding of the evolution of mitogenomic architecture in butterflies, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of Tagiades vajuna. The mitogenome is a typical circular duplex molecule of 15,359 bp. Apart from the standard 22 tRNAs, it has a tandem duplication of trnS(AGN) and trnE, which is unique in lepidopteran insects. Comparison with Ctenoptilum vasava indicates that the trnS1 duplication is not an ancestral state shared with other species of Tagiadini. Independent origin of the trnS1 duplications was further confirmed by the reconstruction of the ancestral character state based on the topology of the phylogram. Furthermore, comparative analysis of mitogenomes with and without tRNA duplications indicates that tRNA duplication does not alter the codon usage pattern. The mitogenome has negative AT- and GC-skews, and it is highly A+T-biased (79.7%). The AT-rich (or control) region (283 bp) contains "ATAGA" and "ATTTA" motifs. Regarding the phylogenetic analysis, we found that removal of the third codon position (3CP) from datasets used for the mitochondrial phylogenomics of Hesperiidae is likely to produce results that are more consistent: Pyrginae were rendered paraphyletic by Eudaminae in both analyses of the dataset from which the 3CP was removed (13 PCGs + all RNAs), but inclusion of the 3CP resulted in a destabilized topology, resulting in both monophyly and polyphyly. We conclude that even shallow-phylogenies of insects should pay close attention to compositional and mutational biases in mitogenomes., Fang-Fang Liu, Yi-Ping Li, Ivan Jakovlić, Xiang-Qun Yuan., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Fenomén tandemového kojení nebyl v psychologickém výzkumu zatím příliš zachycen. Tandemové kojení bývá praktikováno některými matkami, které následují trend tzv. kontaktního rodičovství. Při tandemovém kojení matka kojí mladší i starší dítě zároveň. Se čtyřmi ženami, které se hlásí ke kontaktnímu rodičovství a tandemově kojí dítě v batolecím věku spolu s jeho starším sourozencem v předškolním věku, byly provedeny hloubkové rozhovory. Pro analýzu dat byla použita interpretativní fenomenologická analýza (IPA), s jejíž pomocí byla identifikována čtyři hlavní témata: 1) Snaha udržet kojení za každou cenu – od útlumu kojení v těhotenství, po prudký nárůst po porodu až k ideálu samoodstavu; 2) Matka uprostřed – „Připadám si, že jsem pořád … pořád mezi dětma…fyzicky a psychicky… uprostřed“; 3) Tandemové kojení jako jistota pro starší dítě v novém uspořádání rodiny a snaha matky o podporu sourozeneckých vztahů; 4) Podpora i kritika tandemového kojení vedoucí k upevnění přesvědčení. and The phenomenon of tandem nursing has not been much captured by psychological research. Tandem nursing is practiced by some mothers who follow the trend of attachment parenting. In tandem nursing, the mother breastfeeds both the younger and the older child at the same time. In-depth interviews were conducted with four women who claimed to practice attachment parenting and breastfed their toddler child together with their older sibling at preschool age. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data, and four main themes were identified: 1) Efforts to maintain breastfeeding at all costs - from the decline of breastfeeding in pregnancy to the sharp increase after childbirth to the ideal of selfreinstatement; 2) Mother in the middle - "I feel like I'm still...always in the middle...physically and mentally...between the children"; 3) Tandem nursing as a safeguard for the older child in the new family structure and the mother's efforts to support sibling relationships; 4) Support and criticism of tandem nursing leading to reinforcement of beliefs.
The history and value of cytogenetic features for addressing questions of the evolution and systematics of tapeworms (Cestoda) are briefly reviewed along with instructions for collecting karyological data. As a supplement to worm morphology, chromosome number and morphology have been helpful in determining the systematic status of some genera in the Diphyllobothriidae and species in the Bothriocephallidea. In addition, many new techniques for chromosome analysis have been recently applied in morphological and molecular studies of invertebrates, including tapeworms. Methods of molecular karyology, fluorescence in situ hybridisation, and chromosomal location of satellite DNA, microsatellites or histone genes may also provide useful data to inference of taxonomic relationships and for revealing trends or general lines of chromosome evolution. However, as karyological data are available only for few tapeworms, they are seldom an integral part of evolutionary and taxonomic studies of cestodes. A primary reason for this lack of karyological data may lie in general difficulties in working with tapeworm chromosomes. To address these problems, herein we present a well-tested, step-by-step illustrated guide on the fixation of tapeworm material and preparation of their chromosomes for cytogenetic studies. The technique requires standard glassware, few reagents and simple equipment such as needles; it can also be used on other neodermatan flatworms., Martina Orosová, Marta Špakulová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A revision of the genus Angulaphthona Bechyné, 1960 is provided, with a description of Angulaphthona confusa sp. n. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and A. rossii sp. n. from Sierra Leone. The following synonymies are proposed: Angulaphthona latipennis (Pic, 1921) = A. latipennis zambeziensis (Bechyné, 1959) syn. n. and Angulaphthona pelengensis Bechyné, 1960 = A. exalta Bechyné, 1960 syn. n. The precedence of the name pelengensis is discussed. Angulaphthona violaceomicans (Chen, 1936) comb. n. (transferred from Aphthona) from Sri Lanka is established, and some hypotheses to explain the presence of the genus outside Africa are put forward. A key to the seven known species is supplied, with microphotographs of diagnostic characters, including male and female genitalia.
The functional response of Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) to different population densities of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was investigated under laboratory conditions of 65 ± 5% R.H., a photoperiod of 14L : 10D and at temperatures of 25, 30 and 35 ± 1°C. Two, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 and 64 third instar nymphs of P. solenopsis were exposed to newly emerged mated female parasitoids for 24 h. The parasitoid exhibited a type II functional response at all temperatures. The searching efficiencies (a) and handling times (Th) were 0.1818 h-1 and 5.0012 h at 25°C, 0.1382 h-1 and 3.2807 h at 30°C, and 0.2097 h-1 and 2.3635 h at 35°C, respectively. The maximum attack rates (T/Th) were 4.8, 7.3 and 10.2 nymphs at 25, 30 and 35°C, respectively. This indicates that A. bambawalei is more likely to be an effective biological control agent of P. solenopsis in warm seasons., Razieh Joodaki, Nooshin Zandi-Sohani, Sara Zarghami, Fatemeh Yarahmadi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Main aim of the study was to determine the temporal and spatial patterns of relations between monthly and annual average river flow (RF) and water temperature (WT) for 53 rivers in Poland. The research made use of monthly and annual WT and RF for 88 water gauges for the period 1971–2015. Correlations were established using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and the similarity of RF–WT relations was determined using the Ward’s hierarchical grouping. It was demonstrated that correlations between average annual RF and WT were negative (for >85% of water gauges) and statistically significant (p<0.05) only for 30% of water gauges. It was confirmed that the studied RF–WT relations underwent seasonal changes. Positive correlations were clearly predominant in the winter months, while from April to September these relations were negative and statistically significant. The RF–WT relations were also characterized by spatial differences and this had been confirmed by separation of seven groups of water gauge profiles distinguished with the help of the Ward's hierarchical grouping method. The strongest RF–WT relations were apparent in the case of mountainous rivers, for which snow melt supply and summer rainfall supply were predominant, and lakeland rivers, which had a considerable share of groundwater supply. These were classified as cold rivers, as opposed to the cool rivers in the lowland belt, for which the RF–WT relations were the weakest. The results obtained may contribute to the elaboration of an appropriate management strategy for river ecosystems, which are assigned important economic and environmental functions.
The daily activity patterns of animals are modulated by external factors such as habitat selection, temporal niche selection, prey availability and predation risk. Furthermore, different species show a variety of responses to human disturbance; therefore, to understand the effects of human activities on wildlife, it is crucial to consider the disturbance characteristics (e.g. type, frequency, timing and location of human activity). Our objective was to evaluate whether vehicles on forest roads altered the daily temporal activity patterns of three apex predators; Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), using an extensive camera trap data set collected across a gradient of forest roads and wildlife trails in the Croatian part of the Dinaric mountains. We expected a low temporal overlap between humans and apex predators but predicted this even lower at sites where vehicles are present. Consistent with our expectations, the general overlap in temporal activity of all three apex predators and humans was low, the former being primarily active at night/dawn/dusk hours and the latter during daylight hours. In contrast, our results showed similarity in the temporal activity of all three predators on wildlife trails and forest roads where human activity was more frequent and diverse.
Current data on reproductive biology and population dynamics of the acanthocephalans are scarce mainly in regions from the tropical Pacific. An analysis was done to identify possible factors that influence variation in infection levels of the acanthocephalan Pseudoleptorhynchoides lamothei Salgado-Maldonado, 1976 in its final host, the blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864), and describe its main reproductive traits. A total of 1,094 A. guatemalensis were collected from Tres Palos Lagoon from August 2014 to December 2015. Prevalence of P. lamothei varied from 1.47% to 38.33%, and mean abundance from 0.03 to 4.44 helminths per examined host. In female P. lamothei relative fecundity increased with total length. Temporal variations in P. lamothei infection levels were attributed mainly to changes in host feeding and reproductive behaviour in response to local environmental factors as climatic season, and variations in water temperature., Dolores I. Carpio-Hernández, Juan Violante-González, Scott Monks, Agustín A. Rojas-Herrera, Sergio García-Ibáñez, Jeiri Toribio-Jiménez and Himmer Castro-Mondragón., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Extracorporeal life support is a treatment modality that provides prolonged blood circulation, gas exchange and can substitute functions of heart and lungs to provide urgent cardio-respiratory stabilization in patients with severe but potentially reversible cardiopulmonary failure refractory to conventional therapy. Generally, the therapy targets blood pressure, volume status, and end-organs perfusion. As there are significant differences in hemodynamic efficacy among different percutaneous circulatory support systems, it should be carefully considered when selecting the most appropriate circulatory support for specific medical conditions in individual patients. Despite severe metabolic and hemodynamic deterioration during prolonged cardiac arrest, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) can rapidly revert otherwise fatal prognosis, thus carrying a potential for improvement in survival rate, which can be even improved by introduction of mild therapeutic hypothermia. In order to allow a rapid transfer of knowledge to clinical medicine two porcine models were developed for studying efficiency of the VA ECMO in treatments of acute cardiogenic shock and progressive chronic heart failure. These models allowed also an intensive research of adverse events accompanying a clinical use of VA ECMO and their possible compensations. The results indicated that in order to weaken the negative effects of increased afterload on the left ventricular function the optimal VA ECMO flow in cardiogenic shock should be as low as possible to allow adequate tissue perfusion. The left ventricle can be also unloaded by an ECG-synchronized pulsatile flow if using a novel pulsatile ECMO system. Thus, pulsatility of VA ECMO flow may improve coronary perfusion even under conditions of high ECMO blood flows. And last but not least, also the percutaneous balloon atrial septostomy is a very perspective method how to passively decompress overloaded left heart.